The Bear: Kitchen & Chef Lingo Explained (2024)

The Bear's kitchen lingo is almost as popular a topic for fans as the Hulu show's engaging storylines. At the series' start, Carmy Berzatto (Jeremy Allen White), a talented fine-dining chef, moves home in the wake of his brother's sudden death to manage his family's sandwich shop. Instead of keeping the Chicago spot what it was, Carmy wants to build something better and bring cooking culture to the forefront of the shop. At first, the kitchen staff are frustrated with all the changes, but Carmy proves to have effective ideas and a much-needed authoritative presence in the kitchen.

For viewers who have never worked in a kitchen setting, however, The Bear's lingo can be a lot to learn, especially given the fast-paced nature of the show. Whether The Bear's cast of characters are speaking in coded shorthand, expressing certain kitchen responsibilities, or making references to products and equipment, the show's dialogue remains authentic. In fact, The Bear's realistic kitchen vernacular is one of the key reasons why the Emmy-winning show feels so genuine. While there's a lot to learn, there's no better time to catch up on kitchen lingo than ahead of The Bear season 3.

Corner & Behind

Used To Prevent Chefs From Running Into Each Other

One of the surefire ways of remaining as efficient as possible in the kitchen is to create a verbal shorthand among the staff. In the highly-acclaimed Hulu original seriesThe Bear, Carmine and his staff constantly warn each other about the physical geography of the restaurant by yelling out "Corner" and "Behind" to indicate when a chef is walking behind another and when a blind corner is nearing.

Kitchens are often crammed, busy, and extremely dynamic, so expressing these terms loudly, clearly, and constantly prevents the chefs from running into each other with hot plates in hand and making a giant mess. "Corner" and "Behind" are usually reserved for "Back of House," which denotes the kitchen pit while "Front of the House" denotes the area where customers order, and get served.

Chit

Shorthand For Receipt

"Chit" is something that's said pretty often in The Bear though it isn't something that really stands out. That's because "chit" is shorthand for a receipt or an order ticket, which the kitchen staff deals with a lot but not in the most prominent storylines or major scenes. There are two situations where "chits" play a key role in what's happening on the show.

The first comes in season 1 when the online ordering aspect of The Beef's menu gets put up too early and dozens of "chits" come in before they officially open, causing the most chaotic sequence in a show full of them. The other notable moment is in the season 2 finale when Richie steps up to handle all the order tabs for the kitchen and keep things running as smoothly as possible.

Staging

The Training Process Of A Chef Shadowing A More Experienced Cook

In the very first episode, The Bear's Sydney (Ayo Edebiri) mentions to Carmy that she is "staging" later in the week. Pronounced "stahj-ing," the term refers to the training process of a chef who shadows a more experienced cook around the kitchen and learns the protocols of the restaurant. Sometimes, staging is a thankless, unpaid position where chefs are compensated with food rather than money. Luckily, the process usually lasts a week or so and can pay valuable dividends down the line. For Sydney, the experience only makes her a better chef under Carmy's supervision.

Fire & 86

"Fire" Refers To A Dish That Should Be Made Immediately

Most of the time, when people yell "fire," it's because they are trying to evacuate a building going up in flames. However, when it comes to The Bear kitchen lingo, the term "fire" is almost always followed by a food order, indicating the dish should be made immediately. Since time is money in the cooking world, truncating what essentially means "start cooking the food order now," by simply saying "Fire" saves valuable time inside a high-pressure kitchen dynamic.

When an order needs to be canceled for whatever reason, chefs simply utter "86" as a way of quickly communicating to stop working on that particular order and start working on what's up next. So when Carmy says "86 ribs," he isn't counting the number of ribs in the order, he's telling his staff to nix the dish altogether.

Hands

Used Whenever A Chef Needs Help

"Hands" is the name of The Bear's second episode and is a word constantly used inside the kitchen. Due to the frantic energy inside a kitchen, a pressure cooker environment requires a sense of urgency. As such, the term "Hands" is shouted whenever someone inside the kitchen needs another person to carry or hold something ASAP. Most often, "Hands" refers to a chef needing a server to present a hot plate. In The Bear, many of the staff members work both the Front and Back of the House, meaning they must pay extra attention anytime someone yells "Hands."

Heard

"Heard" Is Ultimately A Term Of Respect

Throughout The Bear, brevity is used in the kitchen to save time and money. When a character responds with the line "Heard," it means they fully grasp what has been spoken to them, and they completely understand what is being asked of them. The term has become such a constant refrain on the show that characters even use it outside the kitchen, indicating how their professional vocabulary is seared into their minds. More importantly, "Heard" means that one character generally understands another, respects their wishes, and will do everything in their power to contribute to the team.

All Day

A Way To Keep Track Of Supplies In Stock

Planning and preparation are among the most important factors in a restaurant's success. Part of the process includes anticipating how much food is in stock relative to the potential number of orders for the day. In terms of The Bear kitchen lingo, Carmy constantly asks his staff how much of a product they have on any given day, and the response is always followed by the phrase "All Day."

"All Day" denotes the exact number of items a restaurant has in stock for that day. So when Richard (Ebon Moss-Bachrach) says there are "12 pork shoulders, All Day," that means they will not be able to accommodate the 13th order. It's another easy shorthand to keep all the orders on track and supplies in stock.

In The Weeds

Used When A Chef Is Too Busy To Help

When a chef in The Bear says they're "in the weeds," it means they are too busy or preoccupied with another task to currently assist another chef. Typically, the phrase "in the weeds" denotes confusion and getting lost in any given scenario, but in the culinary world, it can simply mean a chef is too overwhelmed to multitask.

As seen often in The Bear, the staff members will often say they're "in the weeds," when they are unavailable to respond to the "Hands" request made by Carmy and other chefs. As every chef knows, the job is incredibly demanding and requires the utmost concentration to ensure tasks are completed on time. "In the Weeds," is a helpful term to let others know they are currently focused on the task at hand.

Family Style

The Open Way Of Staff Sharing A Meal Together

While it's self-explanatory, the term "Family Style" or "Family Meal" is an official term in the culinary world that refers to an open way of sharing a meal together as a staff. In The Bear, the chefs take turns preparing the family meal every day, which breeds camaraderie and a real sense of teamwork. While Family Meals are usually pretty casual, they can also double as minor business meetings where the higher-ups lay out the plan for the night or the next day. Interestingly, Carmy rarely eats with his staff during the family meals, something quite common among chefs.

Cartouche

A Piece Of Folded Parchment Paper

In the pilot episode of The Bear, Sydney answers one of Carmy's requests by stating "Yes, chef, do you need a Cartouche?" Firstly, "Yes, Chef" is universally the go-to phrase in any kitchen to communicate that they understand what has been asked and will immediately fulfill the task.

The term "Cartouche" refers to a piece of folded parchment paper used in certain cooking processes to sop up extra moisture. It's essentially a soft lid or a false lid used to cover braising liquids, soups, stews, and the like. Carmy responds to Sydney's question by saying, "Yes, chef, thank you," indicating that a Cartouche was a wise option for the dish in question.

The Brigade

The Division Of Labor Among Staff

Every eatery follows a particular protocol that clearly defines the division of labor among its staff. For centuries, restaurants adhered to the Escoffier-Style French Brigade, which is referred to as "The Brigade" throughout The Bear. One of the conflicts of the show is Carmy's managerial vision of how to run his sandwich shop, leading Sydney to suggest incorporating The Brigade.

Once Carmy realizes he can't follow his brother Mike's order of operations, he must adapt to ensure his staff works as smoothly and efficiently as possible. As such, Carmy heeds Sydney's advice and begins dolling out designations such as Marcus being the Boulanger (Baker). As it sounds, The Brigade is a military-like organizational tool to clearly define the hierarchy within the kitchen setting in The Bear.

Expo

Shorthand For The Kitchen's Expeditor Role

In The Bear, the term "expo" is used as shorthand for the staff member who acts as the conductor of the brigade. This essential member of the kitchen team calls tickets, ensures that stations coordinate cooking times, and heads up the kitchen's quality control efforts. In addition to making sure no one is served cold or under-cooked dishes, the expo often handles plating. A role that combines front-of-house and kitchen duties, the expo also ensures that courses reach tables at the right increments — and that, of course, stems from the meals' cook times.

Chaos Menu

When A Menu Isn't Curated Around A Particular Theme Or Type Of Cuisine

The aptly dubbed "chaos menu" refers to a bill of fare that seemingly lacks a distinct theme. Often, a chaos menu isn't curated around a particular type of cuisine either. The Bear's Carmy and Sydney create a chaos menu for the restaurant's grand reopening. Although the menu lacks a cohesive cuisine plan, it does reflect the chefs' passions and personal experiences. That said, a chaos menu isn't random, but deeply meaningful to those working on it. After all, nothing says "The Bear" quite like controlled chaos.

The Bear season 3 releases on Hulu on June 27, 2024.

The Bear

Comedy

Drama

Set in a Chicago sandwich shop, The Bear follows Carmy Berzatto, a young professionally trained chef who returns to take over his family business after the unexpected death of his brother. At odds with many of the shop's employees due to his culinary training, Carmy struggles to maintain order and keep the shop from failing entirely. Jeremy Allen White stars as Carmy alongside Ebon Moss-Bachrach and Ayo Edebiri.

Cast

Jeremy Allen White , Ebon Moss-Bachrach , Ayo Edebiri , Lionel Boyce , Liza Colón-Zayas , Abby Elliott , Oliver Platt

Release Date

June 23, 2022

Seasons

3

Network

FX

Streaming Service(s)

Hulu , Disney+

Writers

Christopher Storer

Directors

Christopher Storer

Showrunner

Christopher Storer